Windchime
by uzumaki rakku
Summary: "You are not allowed to die," he growled, deep and fierce and furious. "Not after everything you've taught me. Not after everything I've done to get you back." But the battle was desperate and the stakes so high... Adaptation/Extension based on Shippuden Movie 3.
1. Fūrin

**AN: My math exam's tomorrow, but well... stuff happened, I got a bit frustrated, and writing/publishing fanfics always cheers me up (:**

**Finished this a few days ago, after (re)watching Naruto Shippuuden Movie 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire. IT. WAS. AWESOME. 'nuff said.**

**And the scene where Naruto pulls Kakashi out of that slime thing and he thought Kakashi was dead... it was nice but being the sucker for tragedies I am, I kind of wanted to try make it longer, even more sad, and... try my hand at writing light/implied KakaNaru ^^**

**Hope you like this... fic? ficlet? Haha. I'm planning to make this a multichapter, though... second chapter's already being planned x)**

**Do drop a review! Reviews and awesome manga chapters/anime episodes give me MOTIVATION to write 8D**

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_Windchime_

(Alternate title: Fūrin)

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"Damn you Kakashi, wake up! Wake the hell up and open your eyes! _Kakashi!_ Come on, don't you dare die on me!"

He shook the man violently. "Damn – you – idiot – self-sacrificing – moron – bastard – wake up and LOOK AT ME!"

Kakashi's head lolled limply to the side.

Naruto's grip slackened, and the silver-haired jounin slid out of his grip, slumping to the floor.

**"KAKASHI!"**

_But_—

His breath hitched.

_There was no way Kakashi could... there was no way he could _die—

_He was Sharingan no Kakashi, Konoha's top jounin, genius, Yondaime's prize student, ex-Anbu, Team 7's jounin-sensei, _Team Kakashi's captain, Naruto's sensei—

Wasn't he the one who _always_ got away all right, _always_ had some way out, some secret jutsu to defeat the enemy, and _always, **always**_ stayed alive?

Wasn't he?

Wasn't Naruto the one who would protect everyone, save everyone, bulldoze his way through everything and emerge victorious? Wasn't he the one who _never_ went back on his word? Wasn't he the one who _never_ broke a promise?

_Wasn't he?_

...

_Why?_

Damn him.

Damn everything.

_C'mon Kakashi wake up justwakeupandsaysomething smackmeontheheadcallmeanidiot readyourstupidsmut dosomethinganything—_

He had failed.

He had thought he could save Kakashi, stop him from sacrificing himself, and then they would defeat the enemy together, thus they could protect the village and everything would be _okay_, but now Hiruko was still alive, while Kakashi... while Kakashi...

It was just like Gaara's capture all over again, only this time he royally screwed up and there was no Chiyo to fix everything, to bring him back from d—

He screamed, slamming his fist against the ground, but there was no savage satisfaction to be found as he watched it crack and crumble. His Kage Bunshin dispelled one-by-one, and his mind was suddenly flooded with memories of staring at his own grief from many angles.

It failed to drown out the enemy's glee.

"You have my thanks, Uzumaki Naruto! If I had tried to assimilate Kakashi,"

Naruto seethed.

" – I would have _died _for sure!"

He flinched.

"Isn't it so wonderfully ironic that his own student would foil his plan and save _me?_"

He didn't notice when he had buried his tears in Kakashi's jounin vest, or how he ended up desperately holding onto the man in what could have been a hug. But he could not hear the sound of air moving in and out of Kakashi's lungs, or the steady beating of his heart...

"Too bad _he's_ dead, though." Naruto clung tighter, knuckles turning white as he gripped the dusty-green vest.

"I'll just kill you and _take_ _him_ then!"

He froze.

_No_.

There was no way. It could not be true. There was _absolutely no way _that—

Kakashi had died for _nothing_. _(And it was all his fault.)_

**_No._**

_He would **never** allow it!_

There was no need to form any hand-seal. He stood, silently regarding the white-haired _monster_. A horde of Kage Bunshin popped into existence – hundreds of identical darkened blue glares, furious snarls, and howling Rasengan.

It felt like something lodged in his throat, choking him, and he found himself unable to speak. But there was no _need_ to. The deadly song of the Rasengan, now a wild shriek of violent grief, spoke for him.

And it was more than what he could ever voice out in words.

His fists clenched, nails digging deeply into his palm. He wanted nothing more than tearing that _bastard_ _thief_ to shreds.

_But..._

_If he joined the rest, who would stay with Kakashi?_

So he let the Kage Bunshin fight for him. _(Yet it felt like a pointless battle, for they also died too fast, too easily. Too meaninglessly.)_

But for every clone that went down, there would be two to take its place.

And frankly, he didn't really care anymore.

Shoving aside the multiplied memories of attacking-cursing-dying, he turned back to face his sensei.

He wondered if Kakashi would be impressed at his restraint – he did not go berserk (for once)! – or tell him he still cared too much. _(Quit contradicting yourself, sensei...)_

One of the clones shrieked, "You stole Kakashi! Give him _back!_" and was slaughtered, all in one moment.

He also wondered if Kakashi would be impressed at the display of power and skill, or chide him for jumping headfirst into a dangerous situation. _(I have every reason to! And seriously – pot, kettle, black, much?)_

His mouth twitched in an almost-smile.

_(Idiot, I'm just following what you taught me.)_

"Hey... you know, Kakashi..." he whispered, "I fixed the bells like you asked me to." He pulled the small box out of his pocket.

"Huh. Looks like my luck isn't much better," he murmured ruefully. "I kinda squished them too – yes, _again_ – with the box and all."

The cracked remains of the small case clattered quietly to the floor. He tugged lightly on the strings, making the bells jump up and down, but...

The bells were silent. It was _wrong._

(Because as lazy and apathetic as he may seem, Kakashi was not one to be silent either.)

"I'm sorry, Kakashi..." He dropped to his knees. "I'll fix them again for you, okay?"

His fingertips lit up with tiny, dancing flames of blue chakra. He stared unseeingly, eyes wide and blank as the silver bells slowly, ever-so-painstakingly-slowly regained their proper shape. A single tear made its way down his cheek, but he did not blink.

Not once.

He let the chakra fade. _It was done._

Naruto closed his eyes and mourned, in a strange almost-silence against the faraway sounds of battle. A gentle breeze blew, ruffling his hair. The bells danced merrily in the wind, jingling softly, lightly... and were still again.

"Ohayou."

The silence shattered.

"Just what... are you doing here, Naruto?" a more-than-familiar voice rasped tiredly.

(And when he grabbed Kakashi again, shouting and crying and laughing hysterically, this time it's a real hug.)

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**AN:**

**Fūrin****: windchime. I somehow found it fitting. (:**

**Don't you just love the third movie? ^^**

**Windchime's usually spelt with a space in between... but it looks prettier this way so ah well xD**

**I wonder if the starting was a bit too abrupt – it just jumped into the story :x but this was written as a... scene, I guess. Maybe I should have posted it under Fic Fragments haha.**

**Bleh ffdotnet ate some of my extra line spacings =_=**

**This is just in case you couldn't decipher the space-less line up there:**

_C'mon Kakashi wake up just wake up and say something smack me on the head call me an idiot read your stupid smut do something anything_—

**It's supposed to be a completely space-less line, but FFN doesn't allow it. Ah well...**

**Leave a review? :3**

**~rakku(:**


	2. Double Déjà Vu

**AN: Maa, Windchime started feeling neglected, so it bugged me to publish a new chapter already. :3**

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_Double Déjà Vu_

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Kakashi gently pushed the blond off him, trying to get a good look at their surroundings. Naruto beamed at him and rubbed his jacket sleeve across his eyes vigorously, all the while babbling "You're alive you're alive you're alive sensei you're alive!"

"Sorry for the scare," Kakashi's voice was quiet. Naruto gave him a one-armed hug this time, still smiling. But the jounin could feel his student's immense relief and the need to reassure himself that Kakashi was really really _alive,_ in how the arm around his shoulders squeezed a little tighter for a moment.

"Hmm... if I'm alive, that means the plan failed," he remarked, with a rueful tilt of his head. Naruto smacked his shoulder and half-scowled at him.

"Idiot," he grumbled. "I don't care about the stupid plan. _You're_ alive. And if you do anything like that again I _swear_ I'm going to—"

There was a huge _boom _as all his Kage Bunshin were destroyed in one blow, and Naruto scowled. "Ugh, I really wish he'd just go down and _stay _down already..."

"So you survived, Kakashi," Hiruko snarled, stumbling to his feet. "But the solar eclipse has not ended yet. I still have the Heaven and Earth conditions. Kakashi, I'll kill you and take the Human condition!"

The missing-nin flung out a huge amount of what felt like chakra, which exploded outwards, bursting straight through the roof. Large pieces of broken rock rained down from above, and the floor beneath them began to crack.

"What the – " The blond exclaimed.

"Run for the exit, Naruto!"

Kakashi tried, and failed, to ignore the horrible feeling of déjà vu.

_This is Naruto, not Obito,_ he told himself firmly. _Something like **that** would never happen to Naruto._

They made it out of the strange building just as it exploded. Kakashi reached out, panic rising in his chest, and grabbed Naruto's arm. He held on with a desperately tight grip, refusing to let go even as the blast sent them both flying.

Naruto barely managed to form his hand-seal, yelling "Kage Bunshin!"

Kakashi was surprised and very much relieved when, instead of crashing painfully to the ground or being hit by huge pieces of debris, they landed fairly safely. It was a slightly bumpy (and very orange) landing, filled with the _poofs_ of dispelling Kage Bunshin.

"Creative," he remarked, faintly amused despite the situation.

"Heh." Naruto grinned at him as they took shelter behind a wall of clones, who simply used Rasengan on any flying objects which came a bit too close. "So, how are we going to deal with the Orochimaru-wannabe?"

There was no response.

"Sensei?" Naruto prompted absently as he peered through the settling dust, trying to find the others.

"Naruto, you have to _get away from me."_

He whipped around in surprise, and inhaled sharply.

Kakashi was bent over as if in great pain, hands gripping his head tightly.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

_"Now,_ Naruto," he grit out.

Naruto crouched on the ground beside Kakashi, a firm arm supporting his shaking body and concerned eyes searching, trying to find out what was wrong. The silver-haired man's head suddenly snapped up, and Naruto stared in horror at the unnatural, flickering red glow in his _right_ eye.

"It's... his puppet jutsu... Run – he can – use me... kill you – Naruto, _run!"_

The jounin shuddered violently, and began to thrash against his grip. Naruto felt himself flung off.

"Kakashi!"

He barely registered the pain in his shoulder as he landed on the ground, hard.

"Damn it!"

Kakashi gave a terrible scream of agony as he ripped off his hitai-ate and clutched at his head, trying to fight the cursed puppet jutsu.

—_But you know it's useless, don't you?_ Hiruko's poisonous voice whispered in his mind, full of vicious triumph. _That is the reason you chose to use that time-release jutsu in the first place, to sacrifice your own life as a last resort to kill me... because you _**knew**_ there was no way to resist my jutsu's absolute control._

A scarlet eye-shaped mark glowed eerily on his bare forehead.

_And you failed to destroy me, didn't you? _Hiruko cackled. _Give up fighting against this already. It's useless. You have been marked with my jutsu for years, Kakashi. I'll let you watch, as I use you to **kill him.**_

Kakashi struggled even harder, refusing to let himself be controlled anymore, refusing to become a danger to his own comrades, most of all to _Naruto_ –

_(Naruto, who had chosen to come after him and insisted on saving him from his willing self-sacrifice, despite having to weigh _Konoha's safety_ against the life of one shinobi, despite having to go against all the obstacles Kakashi asked the Hokage to set against him, including even his friends.)_

But he could feel it. _It was useless. _He was already losing, slipping away—

_(Nonono stop don't I must not I must not no dammit stop stop **STOP!)**_

With one last cry of despair, he fell still.

_In the end, it was still useless._

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright? _Answer me!"_

Naruto approached the man cautiously, a feeling of unease growing in the pit of his stomach. Kakashi was slowly pushing himself up.

He turned, and blank red eyes met horrified blue.

_Damn it._

"I won't let you have him..." Naruto growled at the long-haired missing-nin who stood atop the rubble. **_"I won't let you take him, you bastard!"_**

Hiruko actually had the audacity to _laugh_ in malicious glee.

The sound of electricity, crackling and chirping like a thousand birds made the blood freeze in his veins. Naruto forced himself to turn around.

"I've always wanted a one-on-one spar with you, sensei," he smiled bleakly. "But not like this. _Never_ like this."

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**...I sincerely apologise to Kakashi for throwing him into such situations all the damn time. x_x**

**Ah well! I hope you liked this chapter? :3 Reviews would be lovely, thanks. ^_^**

**~rakku(:**


	3. Countdown: Until His Life Burns Out

**AN: Mm, yup, chapter 3.**

**I sincerely apologise for throwing so much angst at them. x_x**

**Chapter 4 may take a while, because I want to work on it some more... Kakashi-POV is harder to write than Naruto-POV sometimes, 'cause he is, well, _Kakashi._ ;_;**

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_Countdown: Until His Life Burns Out_

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_"I've always wanted a one-on-one spar with you, sensei," he smiled bleakly. "But not like this. _Never_ like this."_

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Kakashi lunged forward suddenly and Naruto leapt out of the way, hands forming themselves into a cross-shaped seal by instinct.

"I'm not too sure a normal Rasengan can really stand against your _best_ Raikiri..." he muttered. "And I'd rather not find out the hard way. Kage Bunshin!"

He focused on dodging Kakashi's attacks for the time being, sending most of his clones in to buy time while he racked his brain for a plan that would work. Another group split off to attack Hiruko, and for a second he thought he saw Kakashi hesitate in between attacks.

And in the next moment, a humongous chimera was summoned out of nowhere, destroying all the Kage Bunshin in the area. Naruto growled in frustration, then blinked in surprise as he heard a loud cry of _"Shannaro!"_ in the distance. He allowed himself a small grin. _'Seems like Sakura and the rest are dealing with that creature, thank goodness...'_

He turned his attention back to his sensei. _'If I distract Hiruko enough, he can't really control Kakashi-sensei, huh... So I'll just have to keep him busy and kill him as quickly as I can. That should break the jutsu.'_

_(Should. It _should_ work.)_

"Here goes, then..." Naruto grit his teeth as he focused on gathering as much chakra as possible. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

His clones attacked with everything in his arsenal – shuriken, kunai, explosive tags, Rasengan, and even a failed Sennen Goroshi with a kunai. But most of it was ineffective, because Hiruko had absorbed _three_ immensely powerful Kekkei Genkai which were enough to defend against almost everything Naruto threw at him.

Information crashed haphazardly into his mind from the dispelled clones, gradually piecing together into a very grim picture as Naruto came to a horrifying realization: if Hiruko continued to control Kakashi and force him to fight like this, _he would not survive._

The chakra drain of both the Sharingan and the Raikiri was already enormous, especially when he had to sustain them both for so long, and the physical strain was also extremely dangerous. Kakashi usually fought quickly and efficiently, every move having its specific purpose, until he found or created the right opportunity to finish the enemy off with a single Raikiri. It was the most ideal style for a shinobi who used highly chakra-intensive jutsu _without_ chakra reserves comparable to jinchuuriki.

But he was under the control of someone who wanted him dead _anyway,_ and also wanted to use him to finish off the other opponents first.

Naruto cursed loudly.

He _could_ try to wait for another split-second hesitation during Kakashi's attacks, as he was probably still trying to resist the jutsu, and if he was lucky he could perhaps immobilize the jounin, except...

...Easier said than done with _Sharingan no Kakashi_. And most of Naruto's jutsu repertoire consisted of highly damaging – or even lethal – attacks, which he would **never** use at full power against a comrade. Especially when it was _Kakashi,_ of all people.

(For a brief moment, Naruto really wished he could use the Icha Icha trick again. It was harmless, after all, yet it had worked so well the last time.)

Time was running short. It was a countdown for him, Kakashi and Hiruko, a merciless countdown to the death of at least _one _of the three. And there was _no way in hell_ Naruto could possibly allow Kakashi to burn out his own **life **like that, under the control of the enemy.

He could feel himself beginning to tire, but it didn't matter. He could still fight, and as long as he was careful he could still _win this_. The masses of Kage Bunshin continued to use every trick in the book to keep Hiruko distracted, while the original Naruto concentrated on his Fuuton: Rasenshuriken.

There was no way his _best_ one-shot-kill jutsu would let him down, he thought with confidence. It should be more than enough to take down the missing-nin and free Kakashi from his control. _'Almost done – '_

The deadly jutsu was finally ready. He would end this terrible, twisted countdown in one move, and Hiruko would be the one to fall. Naruto raised his arm, preparing to charge forward—

_(Silver bells jingled softly, but the sound was muffled. Stifled, as if coming from far away...)_

He found himself unable to move, completely frozen in place.

_'...My lungs are taking turns, aren't they?' _was the first thing which came to mind. He almost wanted to laugh at the irony, but choked on it halfway and spat out a mouthful of blood.

_'Ah... damn.' _Another realization came immediately after. _'There goes my Rasenshuriken.'_

_'I wonder how he missed my heart, eh. I didn't even dodge. Maybe he didn't actually mean it... it's different from what Sasuke did... that last time...'_

(He wondered, vaguely, if it was another split-second hesitation.)

And his very last thought before everything disappeared was –

_'Raikiri... kind of **really** hurts...'_

The wind shuriken faded and died away, as Naruto collapsed.

Hiruko smirked in satisfaction, and released the puppet jutsu. _Well, I won't need that anymore. You've killed him pretty well._

_I told you, didn't I? It's useless._


	4. Take a Moment and Just Breathe

**AN: I'M SORRY I'M SO WORDY! I know this is already the _fourth_ chapter in an adaptation/expansion of one rather short movie scene... but I just can't help writing more and more and more and more and MORE. ;_; I hope you won't mind too much? ^^;; I know the Windchime plot is like – ARGH, WHY DOESN'T IT KEEP GOING ALREADY – but I just love writing it too much to make things shorter.**

**And, y'know, SO MUCH ANGST in the plot needs a pretty significant number of words for it to resolve. Gradually. So I can break hearts into pieces and slowwwwwwly mend them together.**

**...yes, I know, sadist, now shush! XD There's a chapter waiting to be read. And you'll understand why there's so much angst by the end of this chapter. :3 It's the necessary setting for a... kink, I mean _personal preference,_ of mine.**

**Yes. Just a preference. (Don't worry, the fic stays at its T rating. It's a very subtle "kink". I MEAN PERSONAL PREFERENCE.)**

Mostly unimportant sidenote: Um. You might notice that I don't really put '[text]' around a lot of the thoughts in this chapter, mainly because I feel that italics work better in most of those cases. I did use them a few times in the previous chapter, but it generally has to do with the whole "feel" of the sentence(s) in question. Well. Kinda hard to explain ^^;; I know I italicize a lot of things, but hey – I've gotten a lot better already! \o/ A-ahaha... I'm still working on it, anyway, but I think it isn't too big of a problem right now? If I were half as obsessive as I always am I wouldn't even bother with editing such things. But I like to nitpick every single thing I ever write, so yeah... dilemmas are a daily occurrence. XD

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_Take a Moment and Just Breathe._

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It felt like his body was running on autopilot, his mind completely unable to understand how he managed to wrench his arm out from Naruto's chest. It should have been... simple, really, because _Sharingan no Kakashi_ had had more than enough experience with that through the years.

But never with one of his comrades, and _never_ with Naruto—

The _squelch_ sound resulting from the action made his blood stop in horror, turning cold as ice, and his heart struggled to beat against it.

Blood was everywhere, and there was no question as to whose it was. It pooled beneath Naruto's limp form, even as he held the semi-conscious young man and tried to offer up his meagre attempts at medical ninjutsu – something, _anything_ that could possibly work.

_I..._

Kakashi stared, eyes hollow with shock, as his mind finally caught up with himself.

He had used his strongest assassination jutsu on Naruto. His Raikiri, infamous for its brutal force and lethality, shoved through the chest of the one person who refused to abandon him and let him die.

(And in his mind there was Obito, yelling at him; Obito, saving his life; Obito, crushed and broken; and Obito, dead.)

But in the present and in reality, there was Naruto.

_What have I **done?**_

Naruto was still alive, but barely. Kakashi knew it was only incredible resilience, bull-headed stubbornness and Kyuubi's demonic chakra which kept his heart beating. And then his mind told him, _I could have killed him._

_I would have._

Had he even hesitated, for the tiniest fraction of a second, before delivering the would-be killing strike? Was he really so pathetically weak that he could not even protect Naruto from _himself?_

_I'm sorry, _was what he wanted to say. _Ohgod_ Naruto _I'm so, so sorry I did this..._

_I've failed you. You shouldn't have saved me, my life isn't worth all that because I've **failed** you so terribly and I am far worse than trash—_

But all his words turned upon one another and killed themselves in savage self-loathing, pieces lodging in his throat. It hurt.

And he could not breathe.

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_('Ne, Kakashi-sensei... I wonder if you heard those bells too, at that last moment? Ah, maybe it was just my imagination after all...')_

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_I should have ended this long ago,_ Kakashi thought grimly. He tried to set the blond down as gently as possible, without further aggravating any injuries.

(The grievous injuries _he_ had inflicted_._)

_Late, _he supposed_. As usual._

But not for much longer.

There was not even the need to lift his hitai-ate – for it was lost, perhaps permanently, in the rubble. In any case it did not matter, for he would have no need for it when everything was over.

When he was dead.

_'—Mangekyou Sharingan!'_

His life would be the price for their victory, and he found it quite reasonable. _(It would never be enough to make up for what he had done – but he still clung to the hope Naruto would forgive him, even if that was only wishful thinking.)_

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He heard a strange, strangled sound as he clawed his way back to consciousness, nagged by an odd feeling of urgency. It was disturbingly familiar.

_Kakashi's voice shouldn't sound like this,_ he thought, frowning. It was supposed to sound a little lazy, a little relaxed, and annoyingly casual... maybe even amused, sometimes, but not like _this_.

Broken.

Naruto felt the chakra surge, knew all too well what it meant, and forced himself to _move_.

_(I'm not going to let you sacrifice yourself **twice,** dammit!)_

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"Oi, you idiot," Naruto muttered, staggering forward and roughly slamming himself against the man's back. The blinding pain in his chest immediately worsened with the impact, striking him with violent force, and he nearly blacked out right there.

But he forced himself to ignore it. Before Kakashi could even react, Naruto slipped his hand over the jounin's Sharingan and kept it there.

"You are not allowed to die," Naruto growled right into Kakashi's ear, deep and fierce and furious. "Not after everything you've taught me. Not after everything I've done to get you back." His body shook with the strain of keeping himself standing. And Kakashi, he noticed, was not breathing very much at the moment.

Naruto shoved himself in front of the silver-haired man, still keeping one hand over his left eye and glaring straight into his right.

**_"You are not allowed to die, you hear me?"_**

His remaining strength faltered right then, and he felt his knees buckle. A pair of arms caught him firmly before he hit the ground, supporting his weight.

_"Yes,"_ Kakashi replied, voice barely a whisper. _"Yes. __I – I hear you. __And I'm sorry."_

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Naruto was leaning heavily against him for support, hands gripping onto his elbow and jounin vest.

"Just – gimme a second," the blond muttered into Kakashi's shoulder, his breathing laboured and uneven. "Need to... recover a bit. I'll be fine. Just let me – " He cut himself off with a wince, and Kakashi responded by carefully tightening his hold to keep them both from falling over.

Hiruko, he noticed, had yet to launch another attack. It was possible that the Cursed Puppet jutsu's after-effects had stalled the missing-nin, but those would not keep him at bay for long.

Even so, the two of them would be safe for at least a few more seconds... and maybe, _just maybe_, it would be enough.

_Just lean on me,_ he said silently. _I'll be here._ And Naruto nodded. _Okay._

When the blond raised his head, Kakashi could see that Naruto's eyes had turned blood red with slit pupils. Yet somehow the scarlet chakra only focused itself on healing the hole in his chest, and never spread any further – not even to form the most basic stage of the demon fox's cloak. The sheer amount of will that took was nothing short of truly incredible.

But the fierce, protective _fury_ smouldering in those eyes was more terrifying than anything he had seen in his entire life.

(And yet, Kakashi felt all the more relieved for it. Perhaps he fancied himself a masochist.)

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**How was it? :3**

**...And, um, yeah. ^^;; Furious, protective and even _possessive_ Naruto is ONE OF MY GREATEST KINKS \O/ ...what, you can't possibly say you never noticed? XD**

**Didn't use the word "possessive" outright in the text of the fic, as I thought it's better to stick to "show not tell" where possible. (: Plus, everyone's entitled to their own interpretation, y'know? ...And there's always the end AN to point out extra information just for fun... /cheating! :D**

**I am rather fond of that last line. _(And yet, Kakashi felt all the more relieved for it. Perhaps he fancied himself a masochist.)_ YES KAKASHI I'M GLAD YOU REALIZE. XDDDDDDDDDDDD**

**And there's a reappearance of that old one-sentence drabble I did aaaaaaaaaages ago... (the "You are not allowed to die." part.) Some of you might have seen it before? I have been planning towards that all along, actually... ^^;; WHICH GOES TO SHOW HOW TERRIBLY SLOW I AM, a-ahaha...**

**I think the guiltstriken!Kakashi's horror is so great that he practically 'switched off', in some senses. Part of him is yelling and tearing into himself for doing this, part of him is going into panic over whether Naruto's still alive, and the rest of him feels dead. **

**I shall sincerely apologise to Kakashi once again.**

**But I hope you liked the chapter! ^^;; (ah well, so much for 'sincere apology'...)**

**~rakku(:**


	5. A promise goes both ways

**I'm quite sure even snails move faster than me and my plot. /wry**

**Ran into exams, RL, and – _of all things_ – writer's block... 'cept it's more like frequent hijackings by other fic ideas and a slight lack of inspiration which lasted for a while. Brain, why.**

**In any case, I'm _finally_ satisfied with this chapter, so here it is. (:**

**Self, why so wordy? XD**

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_A promise goes both ways._

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They were rudely interrupted by an explosion. Both shinobi managed to leap away right before the blast hit, but Kakashi still heard a muffled cry of pain from his student.

(The guilt struck, yet again.

He let it hit, but tied all his emotions into one tight knot at the centre of his chest. Perhaps later he could afford to let it all unravel and collapse in private, and perhaps there would not be a _'later'_ – not for him, not with how terrible his failure was...

But he would do whatever it took to make sure Naruto lived through this.)

The blond stumbled, caught by surprise as Hiruko's _bandages_ – made impossibly strong by either chakra or kekkei genkai, he wasn't sure – smashed through the very ground they were standing on.

Kakashi would have steadied him, but they were forced to split up and avoid those strips of cloth which acted like long, deadly tendrils. The strange long-ranged jutsu kept Hiruko's opponents too far away to land any attacks, but focused so much on speed and power that accuracy was heavily compromised. Not a single bandage caught its target, yet the missing-nin seemed undeterred.

"Give it up, _Kakashi!"_ Even from a distance, he still could hear Hiruko's gleeful gloating and shrill laughter. "I'll catch you soon enough. It won't be long before I finally assimilate you!"

"The _hell_ you will! And don't address him so familiarly, you creep!" yelled Naruto's angry, _distinctive _voice, and Kakashi almost smiled. The blond landed next to him in a crouch, frowning as the attacks suddenly ceased. "'m alright, sensei," he muttered in response to Kakashi's questioning hum. "Why'd he stop with the crazy bandages, though?"

And then the sky darkened.

Kakashi sighed. "You just _had_ to ask, didn't you?" Naruto laughed a little.

"This is no ordinary thundercloud," he remarked dryly, as Hiruko's ominous-looking jutsu rolled over their heads. "Though you don't even need a Sharingan to tell. It's absorbing chakra... and growing. I don't think its function lies solely in draining his opponents, however."

Naruto groaned. "Shall I just go pummel him?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged. "It's worth a shot, y'know, and I'd rather not wait around for whatever he throws at us next."

"I'll back you up as much as possible," the jounin offered, then saw the rather odd look on Naruto's face. "What is it?"

"He fights alone," Naruto said abruptly. "He fights all alone, only for himself, and he thinks nobody else matters. That's stupid, isn't it?"

_And you were stupid too,_ he wanted to add. _You tried to die all alone for the sake of the village, and you still think your life doesn't matter when weighed against that of everybody else._

_But it does._

"We'll beat him," he said instead.

Kakashi really did smile this time and gave him a thumbs-up, a silly gesture Naruto appreciated. And since Kakashi was always so smart (except when it came to the value of his own life, that is), he probably _knew_ it would cheer Naruto up, too.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin..."he grinned like a madman. _"Oodama Rasengan!"_

When in doubt, go for overkill.

.

Unfortunately, the enemy seemed to be just as fond of overkill as himself. In fact, he took it a step further by _stealing_ Naruto's overkill, and...

_(Stupid thundercloud of doom, _he later grumbled.)

.

Naruto's eyes widened as the missing-nin suddenly appeared behind him, the combined product of hundreds of Oodama Rasengan in his hand. _'Oh shi—'_

A flash of silver, and then he was whisked far away. He heard Hiruko's distant shout of frustration as they ducked behind a broken slab of wall, and a gloved hand pressed his head down – just in time to avoid the debris thrown their way when the stolen Rasengan exploded into the ground.

"Thanks," Naruto panted, his face bare centimetres away from Kakashi's own. "That was close, huh?"

"You need to be more careful," Kakashi replied, frowning. "Right now he's faster than both of us, and his defence is difficult to break through due to the strength of steel."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto grumbled. "I thought if I bombarded him with Oodama Rasengan I'd be able to get around that, and he can't absorb them all with the thing on his palm. Well, not at the same time, I guess... But _ugh,_ his stupid jutsu made it all useless!"

"We need to find a way around his ability to absorb jutsu to defeat him," the jounin stated calmly. "And if nothing else works, I can still – "

"No," Naruto cut him off abruptly, eyes narrowing.

Kakashi's responding sigh was patient, despite the current situation. "My Mangekyou Sharingan should be enough to overcome his abilities. Right now Kamui is the best strategy we have." A pause. "You _know_ that."

The blond shook his head with fervent vigour, trying to control his fraying temper. He failed, and felt it explode violently as he opened his mouth to yell.

_"NO!_ WILL YOU JUST **STOP** TRYING TO DO THIS! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO – " There he broke off the sentence and turned his head away. "Not allowed... another way... mustn't... don't you dare..."

_"Na-ru-to,"_ Kakashi grit his teeth in frustration. "I _will_ do what is necessary," he ignored the low, angry growl which rumbled deep in the boy's throat. "Because it is my duty to protect Konoha and because I **must not** fail you again— _mmph!"_

Kakashi was caught completely off-guard when Naruto abruptly pushed forward, closing the distance between them, and pressed his lips against his masked mouth. The action was fierce, sudden and demanding, a completely _insane_ thing to do right in the middle of a battlefield_. _For the briefest moment Naruto held him firmly in place, his grip deathly tight – as though he was afraid, or angry. Perhaps even both. It felt as though the kiss was over even before it began... yet Kakashi found himself once again breathless.

"Had to shut you up," Naruto muttered, reluctantly loosening his hold. "Thanks for saving me just now. I think I have a plan, so... Distract him for a few seconds? And _don't you dare die._ See ya."

He turned to go, but Kakashi had already recovered from his moment of stunned silence, and caught Naruto's arm before he could leave their temporary shelter.

"Not exactly fair to ask that of me unless _you_ intend to keep to the same promise, hmm?" Kakashi asked, voice even. "...Don't die."

There was a flicker of surprise in Naruto's eyes as he moved closer, tentatively placing his other hand over Kakashi's instead of trying to push it off. Then he briefly tightened his grip. "Please trust me."

Kakashi's gaze travelled slowly from Naruto's warm hand to the charred hole in his jacket, and finally to his unusually serious face. He knew there had always been something about the young man – an infectious earnestness and enthusiasm, an ability to inspire others without even realising it – which made people want to put their faith in him. And even though Naruto was always delighted to receive such a form of acknowledgement, Kakashi could not help but wonder, right then...

If that was actually _enough_.

Because to merely _believe _in him was to offer a few words of encouragement, send him off to battle and then watch from a distance as he struggled against the odds. Alone.

To trust, however, meant to put everything in his hands, jump into battle alongside him and fight _together _at ground zero without faltering even once.

(Everyone had believed in the Yondaime Hokage – and look how _that_ had turned out. But when they found the still-warm bodies of Minato and Kushina, held in each other's arms with bittersweet smiles lingering on their faces and their sleeping son by their side... they realised that only his _family _had given him complete and absolute trust.)

And, at that moment, Kakashi realised just what Naruto was asking of him.

_(Please trust me... with your life. Because I trust you with my own.)_

"I do, Naruto," he replied quietly, without any hesitation. "So stay safe."

"Ah." And Naruto smiled then, like it was a promise. "Okay. Deal."

And in the next moment he was gone – lost in the sea of Kage Bunshin, even as Hiruko's attack cut another swathe right through their ranks.

Kakashi wondered how much his trust could possibly mean to Naruto, and wondered at himself for being so willing to give it. He didn't understand why Naruto would trust him at all when he had _failed_ the young man so terribly, but he was willing to do anything to make up for it. Even though it would never be enough.

_(And yet, the almost-taste of home lingered upon his lips._

_He was sure he didn't deserve it.)_

Kakashi allowed himself a rueful sigh before he vanished with a silent shunshin. He knew he was pushing his limits with yet another Raikiri, which missed by bare centimetres as Hiruko just managed to dodge. He noticed with grim satisfaction that he had succeeded in occupying the enemy's full attention, at least – though his own jutsu had been snatched right out of his hands, and dodging it was going to be _difficult_.

He reminded himself that Naruto was counting on him, and fought on.

_I trust you to stay alive, and I trust you to win._

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**...Ah. Um. Kinda have a kink for battlefield romance. ^^;; And, well, it's only fitting for battle couples to be interrupted by explosions and all manners of dangerous things as they carry out their badassery. XDDDDDD ...I'm sorry, my brain insisted on butting in with such comments. :3**

**And yeah, they're still having a bit of a tug-of-war over the whole sacrifice issue. Stubborn idiots, they both are. XD**

**Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it. (:**

**~rakku^^**


	6. Deadly

**...Long time no see. ^^;;**

**I love fight scenes.**

**And I need sleep. XD**

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_Deadly._

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Kakashi moved like quicksilver, so impossibly fast that Hiruko could not catch him even with Raikiri in his hand and Jinton augmenting his speed. And to him that made no _sense,_ because the stolen kekkei genkai should have been more than enough to augment his abilities and place him above any other shinobi.

Unless...

He was yet incomplete. And from the cold glint in Kakashi's scarlet eye, the Copy Ninja knew it too.

Hiruko frowned, annoyed at the sudden feeling of unease. Had it been a wrong decision to release the puppet jutsu so soon? He had thought there was no way that blond student of Kakashi's could have _survived_ his injury, much less take part in the battle. _Well then,_ Hiruko decided, forming his free hand into a seal. _Just in case—_

"Do you really think the same trick would work on me _thrice?"_

The voice behind him was filled with a fury colder and sharper than any blade. He jerked in shock and spun around at once, but Kakashi was gone before Hiruko could catch him. The stolen lightning chakra grew dim, flickered weakly, and disappeared.

"It was my weakness which allowed your jutsu to succeed the last two times."

A blur of silver dashed past Hiruko, and he felt a cut open on his arm even as he tried to dodge—

"But now that I am no longer fighting alone..."

—another slash, almost cutting through an artery—

_"Do not be so foolish as to think I will fall to it again!"_

—a kunai stabbed deep into his side, dangerously close to the scar which was his only weak point, and he found himself seized by terror—

"I'd _**die**_ a thousand deaths," Kakashi snarled, appearing in front of Hiruko. "Before I let you use me to hurt him!"

In that moment the white-haired shinobi grabbed wildly at the opportunity to activate his jutsu in desperation and panic, but his opponent was faster and there was _nothing_ he could do about it because—

_Sharingan no Kakashi_ raised one hand to his face, fingers dripping with his enemy's blood and curved with vicious strength, like claws.

"Don't even _try,"_ his voice was rough and his glare cold as ice. "Or I will **crush** this eye so you can never have it."

.

Kakashi channelled the slightest amount of lightning chakra into his fingertips, and felt a vindictive sense of satisfaction at Hiruko's helpless frustration. His eyes hurt from the brightness, but he kept them open because it was nothing. Such a small pain was nothing compared to what he had felt earlier, when he...

And it was definitely _nothing_ compared to what Naruto must have felt.

(He hoped Naruto would not yell at him too much for such recklessness later – if there indeed _was_ a later – but it would be an _exemplary_ case of the pot calling the kettle black.)

Kakashi heard a faint-yet-familiar howling song on the wind, and smiled.

_Time to get out of the way._

.

An eerie pale blue glow filtered through the chakra-constructed clouds, and through dazed eyes Kakashi could see the vague shape of a four-bladed wind shuriken, a bold spiral at its centre. He blinked the spots away from his vision, and saw that it cast a light which was almost _ethereal_... when in actual fact the violent jutsu was anything but.

He liked the irony, for it was both deadly and delightful.

And he paid Hiruko no heed even when the missing-nin raised his hand in arrogance, confident in his ability to consume it. Instead Kakashi kept his eyes on the Rasenshuriken at Naruto's hand, which _screeched_ along to its master's war cry as he descended upon their enemy, dispelling the dark clouds which had seemed so ominous but a moment ago.

For they were _nothing._

.

And what happened next could only be described as _unreal, _because reality itself seemed to twist and tear as the deadly shuriken of wind finally struck its target. Its sadistic shriek drowned out all other noise, even the sound of Hiruko's screams and a thousand explosions of the concurrent battle against a monstrous chimera.

Yet, on the edge of the chaos, Kakashi felt almost inexplicably calm.

_'He's taking advantage of the enemy's absorption jutsu,'_ he analysed, although it was difficult to hear himself think. _'Of course – Fuuton: Rasenshuriken is both too powerful and too unstable to be absorbed or stolen... A brilliant idea, though risky and definitely insane.'_ He couldn't help but smile at that, ducking his head lower and shielding himself with a small amount of chakra to avoid the blast. _How like Naruto._

And then it all abruptly vanished, with only the wind's silent yet deafening laughter left in destruction's wake.

It was the sound of their victory.

_It's over,_ Kakashi thought as he stumbled to his feet in a daze, reeling with the sudden impact of that truth. _Naruto... he won. He's alive._

The world spun on its side, and without a warning tipped over as exhaustion claimed him.

He was already unconscious when Naruto lunged at him with a panicked yell, desperate to catch him before he hit the ground.

_**"Kakashi-sensei!"**_

.

_(don't die don't die don't die don't die don't die don't die don't die don't die don't die don't die don't die)_

He only just managed to get there in time, but inertia made him crash into Kakashi and they both tumbled onto the ground. Naruto practically ripped open the man's jounin vest and pressed his ear against Kakashi's chest, feeling his own heart pounding against his ribcage and searching-hoping-_screaming_ inside his head that there would be –

_(don't die don't die don't die don'tdiedon'tdie__**don'tbe**_**dead)**

A pulse. He almost cried with relief.

But before he could calm down or catch his breath a new fear seized him by the throat, all sorts of terrifying possibilities _(what if there's still something wrong with him what if Hiruko did something without them knowing what if that jutsu had after-effects what if if if—)_ crashing through his mind. Any semblance of rationality had been flung out of his brain the moment he saw Kakashi fall, and the shrieking anxiety only made his head hurt because _argh,_ he was no medic so he didn't _know_ the answers, dammit!

_...Medic!_ _Of course!_

Naruto grabbed the unconscious Kakashi in what he would only later realise was a _princess carry,_ and dashed off to find Sakura.

.

"He's alright," his pink-haired teammate concluded as she released her green healing chakra. "It's just exhaustion."

"...That's a relief," Naruto exhaled heavily, and felt ready to melt into the ground because he, too, was _dead tired_. As all remaining energy drained from his limbs he vaguely registered the sound of Sakura's footsteps, and caught the travelling cloak that was tossed his way.

Naruto pulled the cloak over Kakashi, careful not to disturb his rest, and gradually drifted asleep while watching a breeze play with soft strands of silver hair.

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**I love writing Kakashi when he's furious and absolutely **_**deadly. **_**\o/**

**An extremely worried Naruto is a scatterbrain. XD**

**Gah, sleepy... mm, goodnight... Wait.**

**It's noon now. \o/**

**.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D**


	7. Because of this

**AN: Had to split Chapters 7 and 8 because they started becoming so very very VERY long on their own. Plus, if I put the rest of the stuff in these two chapters then the last one, Chapter 9, would make for a very nice epilogue. :D**

**(I don't always write in chronological order, so half of Chapter 7 was written ages ago, and more than half of Chapter 8 is already done, while the end part and some random bits of the epilogue is also already there. ^^;; ...That made more sense in my head. XD)**

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_Because of this._

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_He failed, Hiruko died, but Kakashi died pretending to be a traitor._

_._

_He failed, Kakashi died, and _he_ was a traitor._

_._

_He failed, Kakashi died._

_._

_He failed, lost control, and everyone died._

_._

_He failed, Hiruko escaped, the world was thrown into chaos and people were dying everywhere and Kakashi hated him._

_._

_He felt his Rasengan grind into something – something which felt more solid than the blue slime-like substance that had consumed Kakashi, and stopped._

_Pulling away his shaking arm, he forced open a gap in the slime._

(White?)

_Naruto gripped his head with both hands and screamed until he couldn't think anymore, because a bloody hole had been blown into – _blasted_ into – the man's chest and—_

**_He was staring right at Kakashi's broken ribs._**

_._

_He failed again._

.

He screamed himself awake, except he didn't _know_ if it really had been a dream because he couldn't see Kakashi anywhere and _what if_...

"Naruto, _calm down!"_

Were those hands on his shoulders Kakashi's, and the familiar voice behind him... real? His breath came in short gasps and he wanted to cry, but somehow he _couldn't_. He couldn't think couldn't think _couldn't think_ because the image stayed in his mind and behind his eyes and _Kakashi's ribs had been very white against strips of shredded flesh and darkdarkdark blood dripping around a still-beating heart—_

"I dreamt that you _died_ and you _died_ and you _died _and it was _all my fault_ because I **killed** you! **I KILLED _YOU!"_**

"You didn't," Kakashi said gently, after Naruto became too out of breath to scream. He moved over so Naruto could see him, and pulled him into a careful embrace.

"You wouldn't. Because I trust you."

.

_And yet,_ Kakashi closed his eyes in self-disgust even as his treacherous hands drew the still-shaking Naruto closer to calm him. _And yet, I almost..._

"Although I wouldn't mind, if it was you," he said, suddenly reckless. "Because."

_(He refused to acknowledge the strange feeling of _loss_ as Naruto stiffened and shifted out of his arms, leaving behind emptiness and cold.)_

"You should have just killed me the moment I lost myself to that jutsu's control."

"Oh?" Naruto narrowed his eyes, cold anger building on the remnants of his previous panic. "Would you really ask that of me, Kakashi-sensei?"

His voice was sharp and harsh, unnervingly so, and Kakashi felt his shoulders sag. "If it would keep Konoha safe," he murmured tiredly, glancing away. "If it would keep _you_ safe. I would."

There was a shaky intake of breath, but he forced himself not to meet Naruto's gaze. Instead he raised red-stained fingers _(and almost all of it was Naruto's blood, he knew)_ to his own face, and stared at them for a moment without really seeing anything. And then Kakashi realised with a jolt of horror that his hand – his hand and his clothes and his face and his _skin_... had so much blood on them.

He had Naruto's blood on his hands.

It clung to him, half-dried and only slightly warmer than his own skin, which felt almost as cold as death. Kakashi scrubbed at a spot of it above his eye, and as flakes of crusted blood barely came off he desperately wished there could be water nearby because it _wasn't coming off_ and there was too much of... he had to...

He froze when Naruto's hands grabbed his, and held it still. _(His throat was very dry and he wondered if the blood had gotten in there as well.)_

"At the very least," he forced out, "You should have let me die with the suicide jutsu." _(And Naruto's hands were so very warm.)_ "In the first place."

"Why?" Naruto asked quietly, tightening his hold. _Why do you keep trying to throw your life away? Can't you **see** there's another way, one that doesn't require sacrifice?_

"Because of _this,_" Kakashi said, gently pulling his hand away and reaching towards Naruto's chest, where _his_ Raikiri had torn right through. His fingers stopped bare millimetres away from bare skin which showed through the hole in Naruto's bloodied orange jacket. _"I _almost_ killed_ you. I would have." The tips of his fingers trembled, and for a moment he faltered. "And – and yet you still wouldn't finish me and you _still _insist on trying to save – "

**"Don't you _dare_ go on."**

Silence.

"Did I kill anyone?" Kakashi asked dully. "Have I harmed anybody else while I was under his control?"

"Knocked out a couple of gate guards," Naruto's reply was short, and he paused for a moment to reign in his frustration. "But that's all." He frowned as the jounin's posture seemed to sink even lower. "Give yourself some credit, will ya? It's not like you'd go on a killing spree just because someone slapped a mind-control jutsu on you. You're better than that, and you really should think so! ...'Cause_ I_ do."

"Why?" Kakashi asked in return, slowly dragging his gaze back to Naruto's intent stare. An orange-sleeved hand grabbed his wrist, and pressed his own hand against Naruto's chest, over his heart. He barely suppressed his flinch at the action.

"Because," Naruto quoted with a wry smile, "Because of this."

.

In the brief pause which followed, Kakashi's eyes were wide in surprise, and Naruto looked almost as startled at his indirect... confession, of sorts. A mortified shade of red began creeping its way onto his face as he released Kakashi's arm, opened his mouth, and the words began tumbling out.

"Just shut up and listen for a few minutes, okay? I..." he flailed a little, then winced and carefully lowered his right arm. "I don't know if I can even say all this properly, and if you stop me I probably won't be able to go on. So just let me say what I have to say, for now."

Kakashi closed his left eye to conserve energy, and waited. Naruto blinked a few times, and then glanced away as he drew in a deep breath, face still pink.

"I've been thinking a lot, y'know, on the way here. Everyone told me I shouldn't try to stop you, because you're doing your duty as a shinobi of Konoha. But," he paused, swallowing. "If you say you're going to protect Konoha, then who's going to protect _you?_ You want to save the village. I want to save you, _and_ the village." The blue-eyed gaze flicked over to meet Kakashi's, asking a silent question. _Why didn't anyone believe it was possible?_

He didn't know.

"Why do you think I risked so much to follow you?" Naruto continued. "I _know_ it's a gamble, and the stakes are so high it's terrifying. If I failed, Konoha would be in danger. If _you_ succeeded, Konoha would be safe from Hiruko. But you... you would be dead." And just the thought of it brought him back to the nightmare and the fear and to _that moment_ – that terrible moment right after he pulled Kakashi out of that slime, when he thought he had failed and Kakashi was _gone._ Lost, despite everything Naruto had done to save him, everything he had taught Naruto about _not abandoning comrades,_ and everything he was to Naruto.

_Everything_.

"Gaara asked me to weigh the lives of the villagers against yours. To weigh Konoha against _you._ But I... I _can't._" He shook his head emphatically. "Can't. Because it's your _life._ No matter how high the risk is, I can't just give up and let you go, _don't you understand?"_

Kakashi still had a vaguely astonished expression on what was visible of his face. It made Naruto want to kick him, maybe a little. "It simply means I can't afford to lose this gamble." His throat was getting uncomfortably tight as he tried to control himself, and he didn't even know what to say anymore, except:

"I know I'm horrible and selfish and I took a chance which would be unacceptable in the eye of any shinobi, not to mention _Kage_, but I don't want to care about that because _this is wrong_ and I just – I just _can't_ – let you die. Can't. Not allowed. _No."_ Naruto knew he was beginning to confuse himself, but he had a point to make and –

"I love you."

And he wasn't crying, _dammit_.

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**I. Er. Sorry for the cliffhanger? ^^;; I do need to leave a reasonable length for Chapter 8, after ****all... /runs away**

**...In any case, have a preview, which just happens to be exactly 100 words:**

Kakashi sighed, and gently massaged the injured arm. "You took a huge risk," he chided. "You tell me not to die and yell at me for taking a suicide mission, yet you _always_ charge in against near-impossible odds. What if you'd died? I would never have – "

The hand rubbing at Naruto's arm stopped. Kakashi grit his teeth.

_I would never have forgiven myself._

"I didn't—"

"You almost did." He closed his eyes briefly, but forced himself to continue. "In the end we are not that much different, are we? Keep yourself safe before you worry about me. Please."


	8. Because – I love you

**OMG YAY EXAMS ARE OVER I AM FREE JE SUIS LIBRE ****我自由了 NEVERMIND HOW DEAD I AM**

**But lessons resume next week anyway. = = My frain is bried, but here's chapter 8. :D**

**Updates and, uh, adverts?**** – **I'm also working on some other ideas that hit my brain recently/not-so-recently (why is it always during exam period, braaaaaaaaaain, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy) and some previews will appear in the _Smile if You Love Me _series before they're ready to be posted. :3 One of them is based on Shippuuden Movie 3, again, because I still love it too much. ^^ The sequel/counterpart to _With the Sky in His Eyes_, titled _Regret_, will also be finished soon. I hope. The preview, now titled _Dying Solo,_ is already in the SIYLM series. (:

**ANDANDAND OMG WINDCHIME HAS FANART. HOW DID I FORGET TO MENTION THIS LAST TIME. FANART. HOMG. GORGEOUS FANART AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH /SPAZZES**

**I put the link at the bottom ^^;; It's actually a coloured panel practice by Shikaobing, who's very. very. good. \o/ She's on deviantart, if you want to search her username. :3**

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_Interlude: Because._

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He hated the fact that they would let someone go on a suicide mission without even _trying_ to find another solution. He hated it even more when he realised why such a decision had been made.

Because they were afraid.

Because it was the easiest way.

Because the sacrifice was _willing._

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_To hell with that,_ Naruto thought, and chased after his idiot of a sensei.

He wasn't afraid of anything – neither the enemy's impossible strength, nor the consequences of committing treason – except failure. Because it was Kakashi's _life_ at stake.

It was hell difficult, it was impractical, and it was a risk that no responsible shinobi should take. He didn't care, because it was _wrong_ and...

And he didn't want Konoha – his Konoha, _their_ Konoha – to be built on death and sacrifice.

He wanted his home to be built on the bonds and hopes and dreams they all shared.

Naruto had people to protect and ideals to fight for. He would throw his life in against the odds if it was necessary. They all would, he knew.

But he wouldn't allow it as long as there was another way.

_Because –_

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_"I love you."_

And Kakashi had absolutely no idea what to do.

"Aa, I..." he began hurriedly, then stopped, feeling the heat rush onto his face. But Naruto was still glaring at the ground while stubbornly refusing to wipe away his own tears, and no matter how Kakashi tried to deny it, he...

He was also...

He reached forward and brushed away the tears one-by-one, keeping his touch careful and light. A few droplets trailed along his fingers, seeping into the cloth of his glove, but Kakashi paid it no heed. As Naruto made a small noise of protest he raised his other hand and steadied that firm shoulder like how he always wanted to do, when the youth seemed about to fall, but this time –

This time it would be different.

"Your arm hurts, doesn't it?" Kakashi's asked, voice soft. Naruto stared at him and then launched into a long, _loud_ stream of "OI SO WHAT IF IT DOES IT WAS WORTH IT TO DEFEAT HIM AND SAVE YOU AND DON'T YOU DARE START AGAIN AND – " and at a sudden squeeze on that shoulder, " – OW!"

Kakashi sighed, and gently massaged the injured arm. "You took a huge risk," he chided. "You tell me not to die and yell at me for taking a suicide mission, yet you _always_ charge in against near-impossible odds. What if you'd died? I would never have – "

The hand rubbing at Naruto's arm stopped. Kakashi grit his teeth.

_I would never have forgiven myself._

"I didn't—"

"You almost did." He closed his eyes briefly, but forced himself to continue. "In the end we are not that much different, are we? Keep yourself safe before you worry about me. Please."

"I _didn't,"_ Naruto said, stubborn and firm. "Because I wasn't fighting by myself. I had _you_ with me, and we had everyone else to keep off the chimera. But _you_ are the one who would have died because you – you were _willing_ and you were... alone." He held an iron grip on the cloth of Kakashi's sleeves, even though it was obvious that his right arm hurt from the action.

And that – that chaotic mixture of pain and anger and fear – made the other man vividly recall how Naruto had been so aggressive, so _desperate_ when he pushed forward without a warning, and silenced his offer to die with a fierce, furious kiss. The memory made Kakashi's face burn, but something in his chest felt warm.

"Aa," a wry twist of the mouth, hidden behind the mask with his flush of embarrassment. "Guilty as charged. I'm sorry."

And Naruto's rather wobbly half-smile said, _I forgive you._ "But I didn't die and neither did you," he pressed on. "Because I promised – _we_ promised. To trust, and to stay alive." He paused, pushing up the sleeve of Kakashi's right arm in order to see the inside of his wrist. Rubbed his thumb over the skin to get some of the blood off, then stared intently at it to assure himself that the death sentence of a time-release seal was truly gone.

"We both lived and we _won,"_ Naruto repeated, because the declaration somehow made it feel more like a fact, an assuring _truth._ "But..." his expression suddenly changed, darkening and withdrawing inwards. "You're still trying to avoid something."

The look of uncertainty and _hurt _which those eyes tried and failed to hide made Kakashi feel terrible, and the words he had been trying to order in his mind all that while crashed into a hopeless mess. "...Yes, we did promise. I... Sorry." He took hold of Naruto's hand, and brought it all the way up to the edge of his mask. "I admit I was stalling for time."

Naruto looked at him, then at his hand, then at him again. "Wha...?"

"I've never said such things before, so I'm not too sure how to go about it..." Kakashi blinked, sheepish. "And you were rather, ah, startled that time I said I liked you." Naruto traced the edge of his mask with a light finger and he shivered a little – only a little – at the touch, distracted. Blue eyes watched him with intent focus and the hint of a smile as he hastily gathered his thoughts, and went on. "But even so, I want you to know I truly mean it when I say this." There he paused, and leaned a little to better see Naruto's face.

"I'm sorry for not telling you and for trying to die alone. I'm sorry I put you through all that. And I... I do love you, Naruto."

He let Naruto pull down both layers of his mask and smiled, cheeks faintly pink from nervousness.

"It feels like I've loved you for a long time," he said.

Kakashi closed his eyes in contentment at the feel of tentative lips against his own, of a warm body pressed close to his, and arms holding him tight.

He returned the embrace and the warmth, and took delight in kissing him back.

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_Because – I love you._

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**YAY**

**Hmm, first time I put a chapter title at the back instead of at the front. XD**

**Final chapter of Windchime will be posted on 29th July as a birthday present to myself. :3**

**And don't forget to check out Shikaobing's absolutely a;lsdkjf gorgeous a;lsdkjfa;lsdkjf art for the Raikiri scene in chapter 4 *_* link to deviantart:  fav . me /d50u6c1 (I had to remove the http at the front so FFN won't realise it's a link. :D) The cover image for Windchime was cropped from a very small part of it. XD**

**.**

**Not exactly the most suitable place to put this, but I really need to put it somewhere because gaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh you guys are wonderful T_T:**

**To all anon reviewers, since I can't reply your reviews via FFN, a big THANK YOU and I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS. SO MUCH SO MUCHMUCH. Special thanks to Key and manic anon for reading so many of my fics and for all those reviews I wish I could reply to. ^^;;**


	9. And you, too, are home

**The draft of this chapter was at half its current length this evening when I finally had the time to prepare it for posting, and I really wanted to write more for it so... yeah. XD Now I can has longer chapter yay! Hope you'll like it. :D**

**HAPPYYYYYYYYYY BIRTHDAYYYYYYYYYY TOOOOOOOOOO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE XD**

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_And you, too, are home._

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They held each other close for a long time, not wanting to let go just yet and content to stay that way, in that comfortable quietness.

"You know, sensei..." Naruto finally spoke, the tip of his nose brushing by Kakashi's ear, and the jounin almost shivered. "I really must demand compensation."

Kakashi reluctantly pulled away to stare at him, confused. "Compensation?"

"Yes, compensation! For, uh, emotional distress!" Naruto crossed his arms and glared at him. "After we get back to Konoha you have to treat me to ramen every day, train with me, spend lots of time with me and be my bolster when I sleep..." Kakashi opened his mouth to protest, bewildered, but Naruto just talked over him. " – and you must **_never_** do this again, no arguments allowed, because you're an _idiot_ with a death wish and you keep trying to sacrifice yourself and so as compensation for making me go through all this you have to stay alive! And healthy! And be happy! **IS THAT CLEAR?"**

"A-aa... um..." Kakashi sweated a little and drooped nervously as the increasingly indignant and intimidating blond loomed over him. "Yes..."

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully and grabbed his arm as though intending to drag him off right then –_ (and Kakashi recalled, with some apprehension that was quickly turning into alarm, how he had often seen his own sensei by a certain temperamental redhead in a similar manner)_ – but froze in shock after turning around and spotting a _very_ familiar group of people.

_"There_ you are!"

"What're the two of you – "

"Eep!"

"Wait, what?"

And Naruto promptly fell flat on his ass.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH?"

Kakashi staggered a little, almost falling over as well, and winced. Then sat down anyway, because there was no avoiding what came next –

"I knew it."

Twelve (or rather, eleven-and-a-half) pairs of eyes instantly snapped to Tenten, the one who had said those... Deeply Meaningful Words (as described by Lee), and there was a collective blink.

Naruto's face turned scarlet. Kakashi chose not to look at their highly entertained (and unwanted) audience, ignoring someone's loud "AHA!" – and the fact that his own face was in much the same state.

And amidst the giggles, stares and raised eyebrows of their fellow Konoha-nin, Kakashi sighed. He rested his chin on a head of wild blond hair, wrapping his arms around an embarrassed and squirming Naruto, then solemnly pretended to sleep.

Ah. At least his mask hid most of his face...

...Which was especially useful when Naruto finally decided that, _argh_, enough was enough, and ran off to find some privacy with Kakashi in his arms – because if he _had_ to die of embarrassment he could at least make sure he wasn't the only one, and Kakashi's expression when he pulled down the mask to steal a kiss was _priceless._

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"Um, sorry about earlier," Naruto muttered, scratching lightly at his cheek with a sheepish grin. "As in, just now, or maybe not _really_ just now but I mean it's still kind of recent. Er." Kakashi stared at him patiently. "...Uh, right! Y'know, after you saved me from my own Oodama Rasengan and I, er, ehehehehe... I guess I was kind of... forceful, sorry."

"I don't actually mind," came the amused reply, after which Naruto turned bright red and flailed wildly at him.

"...A-anyway," he said hurriedly. "I just remembered something – Tajuu Kage Bunshin!" Kakashi blinked as the whole area was filled with swarms and swarms of Narutos, who all seemed determined to leave no rock unturned. The original Naruto also rushed off to join them, a cloud of dust following him and his over-enthusiasm.

"Naruto?" the confused jounin called, but at the same time there was a loud triumphant yell of "Aha! Found it!" – and the blond came rushing back while all his Kage Bunshin dispelled themselves. He skidded to a stop before Kakashi, and grabbed the travelling cloak to wipe something vigorously on its (relatively cleaner) side.

"You dropped this," Naruto said quietly as he leaned over to tie Kakashi's hitai-ate somewhat loosely onto his head, then tugged it down to its usual angle.

He blinked.

_Oh._

"And there's also _this,"_ Naruto added, pulling out a pair of silver bells from his pocket and shaking them lightly. The bells swung on the ends of two red strings tied in a knot, and with a wide grin Naruto bounced them off the metal plate of Kakashi's hitai-ate. "We should go home soon, sensei – _oof!"_

He seemed surprised to be pulled into a sudden hug, tumbling off-balance onto the ground, but Kakashi only smiled and held on.

"Thanks," he murmured, chuckling softly, while Naruto's startled laughter went half-muffled into his shoulder.

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"I think you've made me realise something," Kakashi murmured, patting Naruto's golden hair. "Konoha," he said slowly, "Should not be built solely on death and sacrifice. It should be built on people's bonds with each other, as well as their hopes and dreams."

"Yeah," came the quiet reply. "And what I want to protect... is exactly that. The people we care about, the true Will of Fire, the future."

He smiled as the village's gates slowly came into view.

"Konoha is home. You, too, are home."

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_fin._

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**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH IT REALLY ENDED /BAWLS**

**I like to write pushy!Naruto sometimes. 8D We all know Minato was totally henpecked, and never won a single argument until the end... and Kakashi won't fare much better~ ^Q^ Pluuuuuuuus, a ranting Naruto is always way too much fun to write. :D :D :D And Kushina is AWESOME. She just is. ;u;**

**A bit of irony in how despite what Kakashi promised Naruto as "compensation for emotional distress", he still went ahead and sacrificed himself fighting against Pain. GAH**

**_Windchime, Sky _****and_ Regret _(upcoming) can be sort of taken as partly within the same continuity? ...Well, _Regret_ will definitely be the counterpart to _Sky,_ while _Windchime_ can serve as a half-prequel to _Sky._ Maybe. :3**

**A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has read all the way up to the last chapter, and I really hope you enjoyed this fic. I loved writing it. I love this pairing. I love those two idiots. ;_;**

**THANK YOU FOR READING!**

**~rakku^^**


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